Digital Learning Games

DLG alumni pursue careers in a wide range of fields where games, learning, and design intersect. Common career paths include:

• Game industry: DLG alumni work as designers, developers, and in other roles in game studios in Estonia and beyond.
• Education: many of our graduates work as educational technologists, teachers, and instructional designers in both formal and non-formal education.
• Academia: completing the programme opens up a pathway to pursue a doctoral degree in educational technology, game studies, and other relevant fields.
• ICT: DLG alumni have used their skills to help integrate gamification and improve the user experience in various software companies and tech startups.

Digital Learning Games is a two-year programme taught in English. At the core of the programme is the Game Design, which includes the following courses:

• Introduction to Digital Learning Games and Game Studies.
• Fundamentals of Game Design.
• Learning Game Development.
• Games for Learning and Teaching.

Students can also choose from a variety of elective courses that support specialisation in game development, educational psychology, game art, or industry."

At the end of their studies, students will produce a research-based Master’s thesis, which may focus on designing and testing a digital game or gamified tool; using game-based approaches in educational and work settings; and other relevant topics.

Digital Learning Games curriculum

Nominal division

(Note that the programme is subject to change.)

Please adhere to the Academic Affairs Office guidelines when filling in the section about Admissions and Admission Exams. 

Application dates

• international applicants: 1 November 2026 - 1 March 2027 
• local and eligible applicants 1 November 2026 - 29 June 2027

View detailed admission requirements and timelines for the applicants. 

General requirements

• Completed Bachelor’s degree or the equivalent
• Proof of English Proficiency

Please see the complete overview of admission and application requirements for Master's level applicants.

Application documents:

• Curriculum vitae (CV)
• Motivation letter (maximum 700 words)
• Portfolio

Entrance exams

The entrance examination consists of two components:

• Assesment of submitted documents (50%) – evaluation of the motivation letter and portfolio.
• Admission interview (50%) – assessment of the applicant's motivation, communication skills and ability to present an original learning game or research idea.

Assessement

The entrance examination consists of an assessment of the motivation letter and portfolio (50 points) and an interview (50 points), with applicants required to score at least 35 points in each component to pass.

1. Assessment of submitted documents (50 points)

Motivation letter

The aim of the motivation letter is to introduce the applicant’s background and articulate their interest in the fields of game design and game-based learning. The motivation letter should provide an overview of how the applicant’s personal and professional background connects to their interest in the programme and discuss how the study of game design and game-based learning is relevant to their future career. Whenever relevant, applicants are encouraged to highlight specific games, academic publications, as well as personal and professional experiences that connect to their discussion. The motivation letter should be up to 700 words long.

Portfolio

The portfolio may be submitted as a PDF file or as a URL (e.g., the applicant’s personal page, Github repository, Itch.io or Artstation page, etc.). The contents of the portfolio depend on the applicant’s background and will be evaluated relative to their professional experience.

• Applicants with a background in education: course syllabi, lesson plans, any teaching materials developed. A short annotation introducing the materials’ context of use should be included.
• Applicants with a design background: digital or non-digital games, apps, or prototypes, design and concept documents, etc. Games may range from game jam entries and school projects to published work. For group projects, a description of the applicant’s role and contribution should be included.
• Applicants with a background in visual art, graphic design, music, creative writing, etc.: a selection of creative works with brief annotations explaining the context.
• Applicants with a background in computer science and software engineering: examples of previous work, preferably in the form of code repositories, and a short description of each included project’s background and functionality.
• Applicants with a research background: one or several publications, including bibliographies. For work with multiple authors, the applicant’s specific contribution should be stated.
• Applicants with other backgrounds: a selection of practical work that demonstrates their specific skill set and a brief description of the context behind it.
• A recent graduate may submit their final thesis or project, or any relevant work completed during their undergraduate studies.

2. Admission interview (50 points)

During the admission interview, the applicant will be asked a series of questions based on their motivation letter and portfolio, as well as invited to briefly present an original idea for a learning game that relates to their interests and expertise, or an idea for a research project related to game-based learning or game design.

Assessment criteria

The application is evaluated based on:

• how specific its content is to the study programme
• how clearly written and structured it is
• how clearly it articulates the programme’s relevance to the applicant’s educational and professional background, as well as their career vision
• to what extent it demonstrates familiarity with the field
• to what extent the skills and outputs presented in the portfolio are relevant to the study programme

The admission interview is scored based on:

• the applicant’s language fluency and communication skills
• the applicant’s ability to offer meaningful and specific responses to the interviewers’ questions
• the applicant’s ability to present a learning game idea or a research idea that is clear, meaningful, and does not merely replicate existing work

To pass the entrance examination, applicants must score at least 35 out of a maximum 50 points in each category.
 

Watch videos with our students and alumni:

Read Interviews with our alumni: 

• Ahmed Elshenawy
• Anni Hõ 
• Saad Mehmood
• Giorgi Shakulashvili
• Indrek Kaine
• Artyom Grigoryan

Below are some of the educational games DLG staff and students have worked on.

Spoofy is a game introducing the basics of Internet safety and cybersecurity to primary schoolers. In the game, you play as an interstellar traveller visiting five different worlds and helping their inhabitants solve their cyber-issues. Spoofy was created by CGI Inc. in collaboration with Tallinn University, whose team was responsible for expanding the game by designing the fifth world.

Find more information about the game and play

BIG GAME is an Erasmus+ funded online game about climate change, set in the near future. In the game, teams of students role-play as members of the newly established United Nations Anti-Apocalypse Force and develop solutions to environmental crises around the globe. In November-December 2023, the game was played by over 220 school teams from across Europe. The game was designed by a team from Tallinn University in collaboration with partners from Finland, Estonia, Italy, and Romania.

Watch the introductory video

Explore the mission content

Methodyca is a point-and-click adventure game designed to introduce university students to research methods in the social sciences and design. In the story, the protagonist is a student on a quest to find their missing thesis supervisor. This quest takes them to a parallel world, where they encounter a variety of eccentric characters and unlock mini-games about qualitative and quantitative research methods. The game was funded by the Estonian Education and Youth Authority.

Watch the trailer

Find more information about the game and play

Interview Simulator is a game for the Digital Learning Games (DLG) master's program at Tallinn University. The goal of the simulator is to familiarise the admission interview process and the nature of the DLG programme in general. Learn what kind of questions are asked during the interview and see what kind of responses the DLG academic staff prefers. Keep an eye on the teachers' reactions to your answers! The simulator was developed by students of the Computer Science bachelor's program for the software development course at Tallinn University.

Play the Admission Interview Simulator here

As part of our commitment to fostering academic excellence, Tallinn University offers tuition discounts for the top three applicants (in the first semester) and students (in subsequent semesters) in the programme.

75% tuition discount to the highest-performing applicant or student: The top-performing applicant or student will be awarded a 75% tuition discount. This prestigious award recognises those who have demonstrated exceptional academic ability, innovative approaches to digital learning, or significant contributions to the field of learning games.

50% tuition discount to the second highest performing applicant or student: The second-best applicant or student will receive a 50% discount on tuition fees. This discount is for those who have shown strong potential and excellent performance, contributing meaningfully to the development of digital learning experiences through games.

25% tuition discount to the third highest-performing applicant or student: The third-place applicant or student will be awarded a 25% tuition discount. This is aimed at students who have demonstrated solid academic achievement, creativity, and dedication to advancing the role of digital games in education.

Please note:

• The recipients of the scholarship for the first semester will be announced on September 1, 2027 (once all newly enrolled students are confirmed).

Kristi Oikimus

Study Counsellor and Specialist of the programme

For additional guidelines regarding the admission procedure, please contact the international admission specialist.